Floor plan
Floor plan (floorplan, floor-plan) in its original meaning is and architecture term, a diagram of a room, a building, or a level (floor) of a building as if seen from the above (i.e. a map). It can be considered a type of blueprint.
Architecture
The following picture represents the floor plan of the Abbey of St.-Denis, showing the parts of a Gothic church. (The black dots are the columns supporting the roof.)
The term may be used not only in pure architectural meaning. For example, it may denote the arrangement of the displayed objects at the exhibition, ar an arrangement of the exhibitor booths.
Electronic design
Similarly, in semiconductor device design, a floorplan of an integrated circuit is a diagram of the actual placement of its major components within the chip area. The image below is a mock chip floorplan, shown in a VLSI layout editor window.
See also: Floorplanning.
Categories: Architecture | Electronic design automation